The Baltimore Ravens head into Cincinnati to try to return last year's favor by sweeping the Bengals this afternoon after taking the opening game this season, 17-10. In that game, the Ravens' rookie QB, Joe Flacco made his initial appearance in the NFL, and while he ran 38 yards for a score, he did not exactly burn up the Bengals secondary. At the same time, a win is a win in the NFL and it was a great first experience for the first round draft pick out of Delaware. Now, after ten more games, the QB that the Bengals and their fans will see today is a much more experienced and poised QB, although we can't exactly consider Flacco a veteran just yet. Unfortunately, while Carson Palmer was the QB of record in the first meeting between the teams, he will be on the sidelines deciding for some reason, whether or not to return to the field this season rather than go on Injured Reserve and have surgery on his elbow. Now the Bengals QB is Ryan Fitzpatrick and while he has been in the league longer than Flacco, he is pretty much in the same boat as far as not originally being in the Bengals plans at the beginning of the season.

The difference is that Flacco is not only the QB of the present, but the future as well, while Fitzpatrick is just the backup who is stepping in for the injured Palmer until he returns, be it this season or next. Fitzpatrick does not have the arm strength or accuracy of Palmer, but his running ability has given the opponents fits. However, he is risking his neck if he plans to take off on this Ravens defense too often. Based on the injuries to their offensive line, he may not any choice in the matter. Once again, this game should be decided up front on the Ravens defensive line, as if they can get pressure on Fitzpatrick, he will be forced to scramble and throw on the run which should lead to the turnovers the Ravens have feasted on recently.

Conversely, Flacco needs to limit his mistakes and in the Ravens past five wins, he has thrown zero interceptions and at least one TD pass in each game. The Ravens will need to establish the running game and once again, which of the three RB's that end up with the carries and yardage really doesn't  matter to the Ravens. The passing game has been surprisingly successful and as long as they don't get greedy, that should continue. It has been nice to see both Mark Clayton and Todd Heap getting more touches than they did earlier in the season, as Flacco is spreading the ball around, although make no bones about it, Derrick Mason is still his go-to guy when he drops back to pass.

The defense should show up as they say, "defense travels well." Whether it be at home or on the road, our defense has played great in every game other than the two losses at Indianapolis and New York. Cincinnati is not anywhere near their class, but they still have two of the better wideouts in the league in 85 and TJ. However, our patched up secondary has been playing well and if we can put pressure on Fitzpatrick, then he won't have the time to let them get open. Hopefully there won't be the big play to hurt the Ravens, be it a long pass or Special Teams mistake.

If the Ravens play anywhere near their level of expectation, this should be an easy win. However, if they do not keep their focus on today, and instead look ahead to the the next two critical games against the Redskins and Steelers, they can be upset. However, I just can't see it and would be devastated if that were to happen as it would severely diminish our playoff chances. Look for the Ravens to overwhelm the Bengals and put a typical Baltimore beatdown on them in their own crib as the Ravens move to 8-4 and stay right on the heels of the AFC North division leading Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ravens:  27-10

Wow, what a firestorm the Baltimore Ravens created up in Philly with the Donovan McNabb benching. I also thought Reid pulled him too early, as they were only down by three despite his wretched passing stats (13.2 QB rating). I would have waited until the game was pretty much out of reach, although that wasn't until mid-fourth quarter. Then he could have pulled him and inserted Kevin Kolb without any lingering controversy this week. Kolb had no time the prior week to practice with the first team and to throw him to the wolves right off the bat at the start of the second half was a recipe for disaster that the Ravens totally took advantage of. I can certainly think of a bunch of other teams that would make a much better shot for a QB to come in cold against than the multi-scheming Ravens. He had no shot and Reid looked like an idiot for the move. McNabb is a class guy and looked real calm on the sideline and in all those subsequent interviews on television. Tomorrow, he starts at home against the Arizona Cardinals and don't be surprised if he bounces back with a huge game. He's a professional and if the Philly brass and fans want to run him out of town, I'm sure he'd love to put on the pads and colors of his hometown Chicago Bears, who would welcome him home as their next Messiah!

Waaa, I have a broken pinky finger and can't play the rest of the year. Yes, that's the next great thing out in Clevelnad, Mr. Brady Quinn. So much for the introduction of the replacement for the ineffective Derek Anderson. Now Brown's coach Romeo Crennel doesn't need to flip a coin to see who's playing each week (or even each half) and can just stick with DA the rest of the season. Maybe they should even sign Anderson to another contract extension and give him more signing bonus dollars just to be sure Brady's little fingers gets better so he can do some more commercials and maybe even play some football. As a Ravens fans, the more pain the Browns fans suffer, the more happiness I gleam from their ineptitude in the front office, on the sidelines and on the playing field.

It looks like the Pittsburgh Steelers' DT Brad Keisel has not recovered from his previous injury, as he is now reportedly out for Sunday's game in New England and may be out a few more weeks beyond that. This only helps the Ravens and will hamper the Steelers run to the playoffs. Both of their cornerbacks are injured and may not play as well. Does that sound familiar? The Ravens tanked last year without both of their starting corners, although there's probably no way the Steelers' reserves are as bad as the Ravens were last year. They always find a way to stay in contention, so don't count them out just yet. However, I can't wait to see the Patriots' Matt Cassel go for 400 yards against them this week! Yes, he's on my fantasy team, not that it will matter for the last place Wonder Dogs, who are out of playoff contention due to my wonderfully poor draft. Dammit all to hell Matt Hasselbeck and Jamal Lewis!

In between the week that the Steelers face the Patriots this Sunday and the Ravens in two weeks, they host the high flying Dallas Cowboys. Even though that game is at Heinz Field, the Cowboys are desperately fighting for a playoff spot and will not be a pushover, even at home. That will be a real tough three game stretch for Pittsburgh and will absolutely define their season. Winning two of three will be considered success, but I'm looking at one of three at best, with the definite possibility that they go o-fer, and perhaps even drop out of contention for a playoff spot, as they still will have to go to Tennessee the week after playing us, which could be the fourth game in a row against top playoff teams. While they should be able to beat the Cleveland Browns in the season's final game, they could conceivably finish the last five games as bad as 1-4, which would give them a 9-7 record and a seat on the couch watching the playoffs on TV in January. Yes, that would be so sweet for us Ravens fans!

The Cincinnati Bengals hve turned from the soap opera team of the summer into the forgotten ugly sister in the AFC North. Yeah, there's still all the talk about letting head coach Marvin Lewis go after the season, as well as the normal get rid of Chad Johnson and even TJ Houshmandzadeh. However, based on their stellar 1-9-1 record, there isn't much to talk about. It would be different if they were tied with the winless Detroit Lions and winless themselves, but a win and a tie put them well above the hapless Lions, who have a great chance of running the table and joining the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only winless teams in NFL history. At least the Bungels have an excuse and that's the loss of QB Carson Palmer to an arm injury that for some unknown reason, he's still trying to come back from and play this season. However, something tells me that their record might not be much different even if he was still lining up under center. Current Bengals QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is running for his life behind an awful offensive line and might just get his head knocked off this week against the Ravens. Hopefully, we'll take this game as seriously as the ones coming up and not overlook Cincinnati as the Bengals destroyed us in their crib last season and even though we beat them opening day this year, we still owe them big time for sweeping us last year.

Let's take them one at a time and take care of business this Sunday at Cincy and then come home to prepare to show the entire league why this team is one to be reckoned with as we've gotten literally zero respect from the so-called "experts" who rank us the lowest of any team with a 7-4 record in their Power Rankings. We will get that chance when we play on national TV next Sunday night at home against our hated neighbors to the south, the Washington Redskins. First the Redskins need to get their second beating of this season from the New York Giants. Then they can come here for us to start their bruising all over again on December 7th.

Bring it on!

Well, how many of you would have predicted that these two teams would be at opposite ends of the spectrum at this point of the season? Certainly, Cincinnati Bengals fans would have thought they would, but the records would have been exchanged between the teams. I predicted a Ravens win in game one, mainly because I thought the Ravens were better than they were being given credit for, and that the Bengals were not as good as they were being given credit for. Cincinnati was even a favorite coming into M&T Bank Stadium as the visitor, but left bitter and angy after a 17-10 Ravens victory that was not as close as the final score indicated. The only TD scored by the Bengals was off of a Ray Rice fumble late in the game. Rookie QB Joe Flacco, making his first career NFL start, was unremarkable but still had a 38 yard jaunt to the end zone for his first career TD.

Still the Bengals fans gave us no credit. He is a quote from a post by one of their fans after that week one Ravens victory:

Enjoy your only win of 2008

The Bengals were terrible yesterday. To be serious, however, Cincinnati will still have a better record than the Rat Birds in 2008. If history serves, the Bengals offense will score points and the defense, though not spectacular, will be effective enough to steal a few games.

For the Ravens, however, Joe Flacco will make mistakes. The aging Ravens defense will get injured. PK Sams will drive drunk. (oh wait, he’s no longer on your team…that’s too bad) Maybe the Ravens will win one more against Houston (who looked awful) and another at home against Cleveland (because Cleveland sucks), but I don’t see any more than that.

It’s a travesty that the Bengals lost to the Ravens yesterday, but I chalk it down to a poor gameplan and horrible execution more than the Ravens’ bright prospects in ’08.

I’ll give you credit; your post is just about the most intelligent thing I’ve ever seen from a Ravens fan. You have basic noun-verb agreement, several adjectives used correctly, and do not have expletives embellishing your points. One point of contention, however, sentences should not end in prepositions. Bravo, young sir!

Seriously, however, good luck this season – but not too much luck.

"Ryan, Things in here don't react too well to bullets." - Marko Ramius

by TarZander on Sep 8, 2008 8:44 PM EDT

 

 Gee, I wonder what they're thinking today. I remember they also dissed our city, saying there was nothing to do and it was all filled with trash and empty syringes. I resent that remark, as there are really not THAT many empty syringes!

Now, we have two teams headed in completely different directions. The Bengals will have a ton of decisions to make after December is over. The first will be whether or not to retain head coach Marvin Lewis. While Lewis will always occupy a warm spot in Ravens' fans' hearts due to being our defensive coordinator in our Super Bowl season, he has not exactly earned a wonderful reputation as a head coach. Heck, if we lost Rex Ryan to a head coaching position next year, I'd gladly take him back into his old position here. What do the Bengals do with their talented, yet disgruntled receiving corps? I'll gladly take either of their "castoffs" onto our roster. Finally, I'm not too sure what the Bengals and Carson Palmer are thinking as he is still on their active roster and considering the possibility of making an appearance before the end of this season. I posted the question over at Cincy Jungle, asking them what did they hope to gain other than further injuring his arm beyond its current status? The way their backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has been running for his life, their offensive line could get Palmer killed or risk a career-ending injury for no reason whatsoever.

On the other hand, the Ravens are fighting not only for a playoff spot, but are hot on the heels of the division leading Pittsburgh Steelers for the lead in the AFC North. The remainder of the season schedule favors the Ravens and a couple of tough losses by Pittsburgh, including their December 14th rematch in Baltimore, would give the Ravens the division title and a possible first round playoff bye followed by at least one home playoff game. This would be the topping on the cake for a truly improbable 2008 season, where most experts had the Ravens finishing below .500 in 2008, and the Bengals certainly somewhere above us.

Next thing we know, the stock market will shoot up, there will be peace in the Middle East, and Osama bin Laden will turn himself in. What, are you crazy!? The other stuff is a possibility, but the Ravens winning the AFC North!? Insane!

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 17-10 in a game that wasn't anywhere near as close as the score indicated. If not for a poor call that led to a fumble on an unnecessary play, the Ravens could have and should have blown out the Bengals. Cincinnati's offense did not score a TD all day, and it was only the third time in his career that Bengals QB Carson Palmer threw for under 100 yards. Ravens rookie Joe Flacco enjoyed a great opening to his career and threw in an incredible 38 yard TD run on what appeared to be a busted play. However, Ravens fans must remember it was against a pretty inept Cincinnati team that was just what the doctor ordered (see yesterday's prediction) and we should not expect the Houston Texans to roll over like that in their home opener next week when the Ravens visit them.

Flacco reminded me a lot like Ben Roethlisberger looked when he had that great rookie season for the Steelers a few years ago. His stats line would have looked a lot better if not for a bunch of dropped balls from usually sure-handed receivers, specifically Todd Heap, who also contributed a fumble on the Ravens second play from scrimmage and was virtually invisible all day Sunday (can you say "over-rated?").

Ray Rice ran real well in Willis McGahee's absence, although his fumble caused us fans a little more indigestion late in the game. However, Cam Cameron ran a flawless gameplan and the Bengals never touched the ball again after that miscue as the Ravens ran out the last 7+ minutes of the game with a long drive based on a brutal ground game. The fumble was off a short toss, a play that I thought and yelled that it was too risky and unnecessary to call at that point in the game. Luckily, no harm, no foul in the end, although we were on our way to another score that would have put the game out of reach as the Ravens would have been up by at least three scores with less than eight minutes left in the game.

The offensive line made the Bengals front seven a non-issue all game, as Flacco had loads of time to look for an open receiver and he consistently found his secondary option and dump offs like a veteran. His foot speed will never confuse him with Kyle Boller or Troy Smith, but when was the last time they ran for a 38 yard touchdown!? Smith probably would have ran out of bounds and Boller would have thrown the ball away before crossing the line of scrimmage! The need for Willie Anderson was negated by the fine play of the o-line all day long.

The defense played a lot like they did in 2006, when they were the dominant force in the league. I understand that the Bengals helped us out a bunch, but hey, I'll take it every game if they give it to us. Palmer had little time to make decisions and we barely heard the words, "Ocho Cinco" all day! As I said in my previous post, the game's outcome would be decided by one big thing and that was the pass rush. Well, they made me look good, as the Ravens hounded and put a "Baltimore Beatdown" on Carson Palmer all day. This made the Ravens cornerbacks look like All Pros, although I'm sure it helped to have Ed Reed, Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle healthy and on the field together for the first time in 2008. McAlister had a great game, with an interception and fumble recovery, although it was good to see him not screw it up with a stupid lateral along the way. Don't forget that we also get cornerback Fabian Washington back from his one game suspension next week as well.

All in all, it was a great day all around. The weather was incredible, the fans were loud and proud, and the team started off the season on a winning note. Next week on the road in Houston will not be an easy game, as the Texans were blasted by the Steelers in Pittsburgh and will be angry and glad to be in front of their home crowd. However, this victory makes it a fun week, looking ahead and gives us hope for at least one more week.

Congrats to head coach John Harbaugh on his first NFL victory and kudos to his assistants for having a great gameplan!

Finally, the offseason and preseason are over and now the season begins. All across America, football fans will flock to stadiums to root their home teams on to victory. TV sets will be tuned to the game and nationwide, half the football fans will rejoice while the other half curses and frowns. As far as I'm concerned, all is well in the world (uh,...not quite).

Here in Baltimore, the Cincinnati Bengals invade M&T Bank Stadium for the first game of the NFL season. The Bengals have enjoyed pretty good success against the Ravens, winning six of the last seven, including three of the last four in Baltimore. The Ravens seem to play other teams tough at home, but for whatever reason, pull out the stinkers against the Bengals. It all seemed to start a few years ago, when Carson Palmer brought the Bengals back from a 17 point fourth quarter deficit to victory here. Since then, the streak mentioned above started and the Ravens hope to put a fork in it starting today.

The Ravens were the final team in the league to name a starting QB, but that wasn't their fault, as they had to wait to see who would be the Last Man Standing (by the way, I took the hated Steelers in my 'Last Man Standing' suicide pool!). Rookie Joe Flacco will start and deservedly so, as he was the only Ravens QB who lasted the entire preseason healthy, and actually outplayed the others along the way. Journeyman Todd Bouman will back him up, at least for now, or until Troy Smith regains the 15-20  pounds he lost in his bout with a rare tonsil infection and gets into football shape. Head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron have enough confidence in Flacco to give him a gameplan that is relatively simple but not so basic to play into the hands of the drooling Bengals, who will throw the bus at him every chance they get. Expect the Bengals to blitz on obvious passing downs, and to put eight in the box on running plays to slow the rushing game down and force the Ravens to pass much more than they want to.

Injuries originally ruled the headlines in preseason but should not be an excuse at this point. The Ravens will be a lot closer to full strength than anyone would have guessed, with Ed Reed looking the most doubtful. Everyone else is close enough that they are planning to play, including Willis McGahee, Todd Heap, Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle and the entire offensive line, including recent addition, former Bengal and All Pro Willie Anderson.

If the Ravens take the field and stay healthy throughout the game, I fully expect the Ravens to win this game, even though they are a home underdog to the Bengals. There are a bunch of matchups that can be delved into, but to me there is only one that will make or break this game. Everything else is pretty consistent and given. The Bengals will not be able to run against the Ravens. The Ravens offense will not put a lot of points on the board. The Bengals defense is one of the worst in the league, so the Ravens should be able to move the ball, and they will put points on the board as long as they don't turn the ball over.

No, those issues ae not the key to this game. It all comes down to one basic thing: If the Ravens defense puts a good pass rush on Bengals QB Carson Palmer and not only sacks him, but hits him hard and often, they will win the game. Palmer will have to set up and release the ball quicker than he wants, and that will lead to interceptions that the Ravens offense needs to gain the short field and put even more points on the scoreboard. Conversely, if the Ravens pass rush fails to materialize, then Palmer will sit back there, waiting for 85 and TJ to get open and pick us apart all day for an easy Bengals victory.

Very simple, good pass rush, we win; poor pass rush, we lose.

I'm banking that with a healthy Trevor Pryce along with T-Sizzle and Bart Scott, we will rebound to start the season off on a high note and get to Palmer repeatedly, battering him and making that shield he will wear to protect his broken nose an unfortunate necessity and facesaving device. I will be there early in my Club Seats cheering and yelling like one of the 70,000 idiots for our Ravens, watching my predictions come true as the Ravens prevail in a close one.

Ravens-23  Bengals-17

...I'm pretty darn excited about seeing how Ravens rookie Joe Flacco handles his starting gig.

...if he doesn't pull a "Boller," he could actually lead this team to a victory Sunday.

...Ocho Cinco's new name was a perfectly good nickname and his legal change to that makes him look like an idiot to me.

...if we hit Bengals QB Carson Palmer early and hard, it will change the entire game.

...based on the above comment, the entire key to the game will be based on our pass rush.

...if we do indeed get constant pressure and sacks from our pass rush, we will win.

...at the same time, if we don't we get picked apart and badly beaten.

...staying in the division, the Steelers are the favorite to repeat in the AFC North.

...they don't look nearly as strong as they did last year, due to their offseason personnel losses, especially on the offensive line.

...I'm not convinced the Browns can repeat their incredible offensive performance from last year.

...the Browns defense still looks to be a real weak link, despite their offseason additions.

...the Bengals will be a good offensive team, even though they will have to rely more on their passing game this season.

...the Bengals defense will rank among the worst in the entire NFL.

...conversely, the Ravens offense will still remain around the bottom of the league.

...if their defense stays healthy, they should return to the top tier of defenses.

...the combination is worth at a least a .500 record, and who knows what else.

...obviously, I can't wait for Sunday afternoon!

While the Ravens unsettled QB situation has been the talk of Baltimore Sports Talk Radio, they are not alone in the league for having a lot of unannswered questions as the season kicks off in just two days. Thankfully, their opponent this weekend, the Cincinnati Bengals, have what may be as long a laundry list of questions and issues as well.

The Bengals have been fighting the injury bug as well as the Ravens. Both starting wideouts, Chad Johnson and TJ Whosyourmama (hey, he's on my fantay team!) have nagging injuries, but both should be on the field Sunday. QB Carson Palmer has been beaten up this preseason and sports a broken nose, which he will protect with a clear shield for the game. The Bengals have had a lot of turnover, especially on their defense, most of it planned for improvement, which will remain to be seen.

Luckily for the Ravens, Cincinnati's defense was one of the more porous ones in the NFL last season. The Ravens have alwas enjoyed decent rushing days against them. The key will be how long the Ravens can rely on the ground game, without being forced to go to the air to play catch up with the Bengals. This Bengal offense is still potent, and as long as TJ and 85 are on the field, they are a threat to score from anywhere at anytime. If the Ravens fall behind on the scoreboard, there is no way they can win a shootout. Conversely, if the Ravens play good defense, which translated means, "good pass rush," and get a lead, then they can wear down the Bengals defensive front seven, opening huge holes for the Ravens running backs.

Notice I didn't mention which running back, because I don't know who will be out there and I'm not too sure the Ravens know as well. I am expecting to hear that Willis McGahee will miss the game, still not fully recovered from his off season knee "scoping." Plan on seeing large doses of rookie Ray Rice, who could have a nice Ravens pro debut, as well as carries by most of the other backs, including the fullbacks. At the same time, while the coaches will keep the playbook relatively simple for Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco, don't expect him to be babied in that he will utilize his arm strength and throw downfield. If the Bengals stack the box, which they expect to do, then Flacco will have to succeed in backing them off with strong throws to receivers that will have to get off the blocks and get open quickly.

The speed of the pro game will notch up a bit over the preseason and our offensive line is still suspect enough to remind Flacco to set and throw quickly, as he will get hit. How hard and often will be up to the o-line, which should be pretty close to full strength by gametime. They haven't played together a lot this preseason, but together have looked better than advertised. If they stay healthy and on the field, they will be a strong run blocking unit and begin to jell in pass protection to the point that they should no longer be looked at as a weak link on the offense. However, still expect them to have their problems with the better pass rushing teams this season, especially on the edges.

Fortunately for the Ravens, the Bengals might be just what the doctor ordered, as their defense will not strike fear into their opponents. The Ravens can and should be able to move the ball against Cincinnati. As long as the Ravens defense can contain Palmer, they will be in the game. The Bengals rushing attack is in a new phase, as veteran Rudi Johnson is now gone and Cris Perry and Kenny Watson should see the bulk of the carries. However, don't expect them to have success on the ground, as no team has had a 100 yard rusher in something like 19 straight games.

Therefore, it will all come down to Palmer and his wideouts against the Ravens secondary. A good pass rush levels the playing field in this respect. Pressure and hard hits on a defenseless and battered Palmer will lead to turnovers, short fields and points by the Ravens. On the other hand, if we don't get to Palmer on a consistent basis, he will pick us apart and it will be a long and painful day for us Ravens fans. Whether or not our starting corners are Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle won't matter without pass pressure forcing Palmer to release the ball early. Given time, he is one of the top five QB's in the league and if our corners are not healthy, it could be a bloodbath.

However, I'm hoping that the time off for McAlister has allowed him to get healthy enough to be out there at 1pm Sunday. Not having Ed Reed already puts us in a hole, so that is part of the reason that the Ravens are home underdogs to the lowly Bengals. To me it all comes down to this: if we take the field healthy and limit the turnovers on offense, along with putting big pressure on Carson Palmer, the Ravens will win this game. If not, it will not be a promising beginning to the 2008 season.

More to follow.

Earlier this season I had looked at the schedule and pegged this game as one of those typical road losses for the Ravens. Not now. The Ravens have remained healthy this season, especially on defense and even more specifically in the secondary. Chris McAlister has returned to his shut-down form, Samari Rolle has his health issues under control and newcomer Fabian Washington is beginning to live up to the expectations when the Raiders took him in the first round of the 2005 draft. The pass rush is back, thanks to Trevor Pryce, which has freed up T-Sizzle and Bart Scott to wreck havoc on the opposing teams' signal callers. Ray-Ray is taking heads off sideline to sideline and Ed Reed is roaming the secondary like the NFL Defensive Player of the Year he was just a couple of years ago. All is well with the NFL's #1 defense in 2008!

Now the offense. Yes, it is much better, more consistent and more balanced than it was under the so-called "offensive guru" Brian Billick. Of course, if I coached Daunte' Culpepper throwing to Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Jake Reed, I'd have the moniker of "offensive guru" as well! I guess Kyle Boller throwing to Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton and Todd Heap doesn't allow you to keep that title, eh Brian?

Anyway, back to these Ravens. While Joe Flacco was drafted to be the future of the Ravens, he is still not the present. Troy Smith has infused a ton of energy and enthusiasm to this offense. The revamped, young and surprisingly cohesive offensive line has made their blocks and given him just enough protection to be effective, both in the pocket and on the run when he has to. He's gobbled up huge chunks of yardage and tired out defenses with his scrambling and throwing on the run. While small in sze for a prototypical NFL QB, he has almost perfect throwing mechanics, holds the ball up high and releases it overhead better than most veterans, negating the size issue. He's hitting the short and medium range passes and mixes in a bomb when needed, sometimes even successfully, to keep the secondary from creeping up too far to the line of scrimmage. Todd Heap has remained healthy and gives the offense another dimension, one that was lacking in 2007 due to his lingering injury. The rookie wideouts are also contributing with their hands and speed as additional targets for Troy Smith.

Willis McGahee has all but made Ravens fans say "Jamal who?" He is one of the top three in rushing yards in the NFL this season and might be even higher without the success of rookie Ray Rice's contributions when giving him a breathing spell. All in all, this team is even better at this point of the season than they have been all year. While still not a Super Bowl contender, the decision not to go after the veteran Brett Favre has proven to be the right choice. Smith's progress and the learning curve of rookie Joe Flacco would not be at this level if they were buried on the sidelines. Even if this team is not ready for the big game, it is definitely a contender for a playoff spot, and could be a dangerous team with the type of defense that no one would want to face in the post season.

The Bengals, on the other hand, are on the opposite course. The off season distractions have run over into the regular season and this has led to near mutiny behavior in the locker room, on the field and in the news. Defensively, the Bungles are still the same team, giving up yardage and points by the bucketful. Offensively, they still get their yards via Carson Palmer's arm to the ever productive Chad Johnson and the under-rated TJ Whosyourmomma. However, they must now rely on outscoring their opponents and that just doesn't fly over the course of the season.

It doesn't fly this week as well, even in front of the increasingly frustrated Cincinnati fans. The Ravens harass and beat Carson Palmer repeatedly, stop the running game cold, and while they do give up a couple of TD tosses to Johnson and TJ, it's not enough to overcome the turnovers and lack of defense as the Ravens outscore the Bengals for a well deserved road victory.

Ravens: 27  Bengals: 17

Season Record:  7-5

Cincinnati comes to Baltimore to start the season, just like the Ravens did when they started the 2007 at the Bengals on Monday Night Football. That game was a total debacle, with Steve McNair having a hand in three of the six turnovers in losing in front of a national TV audience. Still, the Ravens were in position to win the game, when former coach Brian Billick made some ridiculous playcalling decisions that absolutely cost them the game, at least in my mind.

This time it's in our crib and we get to avoid the prime time stage where the Ravens always seem to showcase their worst efforts. Whereas we were the defending AFC North champs at that time, now we're the bottom dwellers with tons of uncertainty, while the Bengals are the NFL's version of Britney Spears- a total trainwreck (sorry, Britney, I love you but needed the reference)! With all their offseason soap opera stories starring Chad Johnson, the legal issues, arrests and infighting, they should be a great way to get the season started with a convincing victory. Chad Johnson wanted out of Cincinnati, but then recanted. His post-TD theatrics, especially the one against the Ravens where he donned a yellow Hall of Fame blazer, would be missed in Cincinnati if he was traded. As much as Baltimore hates him, I would love to see him in Ravens purple, but we all know that ain't ever gonna happen!

Even with the Ravens uncertainty in so many areas on the offensive side of the football, this defense is still basically intact and healthy as well. That by itself makes us a very dangerous team, epecially at home where the Ravens still have one of the best winning records in the league. Of course, the Bengals will have zero success running the ball, so it will all probably come down to two things. First of all, the Ravens will need to put pressure on Carson Palmer, which could lead to interceptions and the short fields that the Ravens crave for this offense. With a strong pass rush, the pressure comes off the Ravens' secondary, which has always had problems with not only Johnson, but TJ Who'syourmomma as well. Giving Palmer limited time to throw will help the corners and minimize the damage these guys could do.

Offensively, the Ravens will be facing what has proven to be a woeful defense. Willis McGahee and even rookie Ray Rice should be able to rip off huge chunks of yardage against the Bungles run defense. This will take the pressure off of whomever lines up under center. Not only do we not know for sure who that will be, we don't even know who the center will be as of this posting. My prediction (and prayers) are with Jason Brown snapping the ball to Troy Smith. While Smith may still be relatively unknown, everyone knows (except Billick) what Kyle Boller's capabilities, or, uh, inabilities are. Rookie number one draft pick Joe Flacco is just not ready for the speed and strategy of the professional game (yes, even the Bengals) and should not be thrown to the drooling wolves right off the bat (wrong reference, eh?). Smith gives the Ravens questionable offensive line the variables needed to lead to success, as his mobility and better accuracy will provide the Ravens short passing game with a huge boost. Between McGahee and Rice blasting upfield on runs, the rollouts and quick sharp passes will confound and confuse the Bengals defense and open up the defense for a big play. While Smith is short in NFL QB terms, he has almost perfect technically sound mechanics, holds the ball high, which in my opinion (which of course is the only one that matters right now!), considerably negates the height issue.

Boller should still remain the backup, for now, as he is signed through the 2008 season. Based on Troy Smith's success, as well as health, that will determine how quickly the future of this franchise (Flacco) ascends to the starting position. Heck, if Brady Quinn can still sit in Cleveland, why can't Flacco carry a clipboard for the entire year? Look what that type of education did for San Diego's Philip Rivers. Wow, what a novel idea it would be to have a quarterback issue in Baltimore- and not because of ineptness!

Based on the above, in summary the Ravens defense will return to top form and force numberous turnovers. The offense will move surprisingly well against the poor Bengals defense and some of their new, hardhitting rookies (Haruki Nakamura, Tom Zbikowski) will make an impact on Special Teams. Opening Day and the Ravens will come out of it tied for first place in the AFC North with a 1-0 record. Yea!!!

Ravens: 27 -13